Maintaining the security of sensitive facilities from terrorist attack or unauthorized entry is of great concern. This has led to the installation of a wide array of protective barrier designs meant to prevent an unauthorized vehicle or vehicles from penetrating the secured area, and to maximize the distance between a potentially explosive laden vehicle and the facility. Barrier protection includes both traditional vehicle access points and facility perimeters that might be vulnerable to a vehicle traveling overland.
The design of crashworthy barrier gates is further complicated by the need provide at least two configurations, one for stopping a vehicle attempting to penetrate the gate and a second for selectively permitting a vehicle to pass through the gate as well as a convenient means for moving the gate between the two configurations. Energy absorbing features employed in fixed barrier designs are not always practical in movable barrier designs. Thus, the movable barrier designs tend to be more robust to withstand the impact energy and complex as the barrier must be movable to permit vehicle access. Both demands increase cost.
It would be advantageous to provide an alternative vehicle crash gate fabricated from standard shaped structural materials that could be easily installed around a desired area to be protected from vehicular intrusion and simply operated. Additional advantages would be realized by a vehicle crash gate system having an aesthetically pleasing appearance once installed. Still further advantages would be realized by a vehicle crash gate system requiring minimal maintenance once installed.